Nowadays, automatic machines are used for pitting certain fruits, specifically olives, in which machines the olives are supplied singly and in a continuous manner to a drum wherein is established a perimetral alignment of clamps for holding the olives during the pitting operation, said clamps being provided with a bore to allow a pitting piercer to pass therethrough, and thus also through the olive, thereby tearing out and expelling the pit therefrom.
The said piercers are made up of a cylindrical shaft, the diameter whereof depends on the size of the pit, with a divided end in order to allow and facilitate cutting of the olive meat prior to reaching the pit.
Such piercers perfectly fulfil the pitting function for which they have been designed. In practice, however, the market demands that the olives be cut into pieces in addition to being pitted, so that they may be used as dressing or seasoning in certain dishes.
In order to cover this area of the market, there are currently known slicing machines to which are supplied olives which have previously been pitted, and which are then cut into slices.
This solution evidently requires two different and independent operative processes, with two very costly machines, thus resulting in a considerable increase in the cost of the end product.